Dezeen School Shows: a project exploring the use of a water-purifying microalgae to meet net-zero emission targets is included in this School Show by students at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano.

Also featured is an inflatable arts centre for young people and a book exploring the debate surrounding migration in Italy.

Free University of Bozen-Bolzano

Institution: Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
School: Faculty of Design and Art
Courses: BA Design and Art and MA Eco-Social Design

School statement:

"Our approach to study is interdisciplinary and team-based; teaching and learning happen through both studying and completing projects.

"Teams of lecturers who are specialists in the practices and theories of art and design work with small groups of students on topics, which are put into real life practice.

"From the initial idea to the finished project, our students are encouraged to adopt a real world approach. With two exhibitions per year at the end of the winter and summer term, they also learn how to effectively present their work.

"Thanks to the well-established contacts of the faculty, our students participate in international art and design events such as the Salone del Mobile in Milan or FotoWien."

This Video by Matteo Antoniazzi

"This Video is a five-minute looping CGI video that explores the hollow interiors of digital models through excess, motion capture and fluid simulations.

"Set to a hypnotic vocal drone with a relentless refrain, its shifting images form a fragmented body, which seeks to bind itself to the viewer.

"As a lullaby, curse and earworm, This Video animates absurd empty figures, endlessly crushed, deflated and drowned in glossy, shimmering liquids, always chasing an unattainable truth."

Student: Matteo Antoniazzi
Course: BA Design and Art, Major in Art
Tutors: Eva Leitolf and Luca Trevisani

Rotte mediterranee: itinerari di migrazione verso l'Italia by Francesco Ferretti

"Migration is central to Italy's political debate, often exploited for propaganda that distorts facts.

"Misinformation portrays migrants' journeys as easy trips, denying the dangers and hardships they endure.

"This narrative erases the precarious realities they flee, delegitimising their right to a future in Italy and Europe, not just legally but in public opinion.

"Rotte Mediterranee seeks to reclaim these modern Odysseys, narrating ten key Mediterranean routes travelled by migrants between January 2021 and October 2023."

Student: Francesco Ferretti
Course: BA Design and Art, Major in Design
Tutors: Gianluca Seta and Elisabetta Rattalino

Nepenthe by Christina Vieira-Barry

"Nepenthe is a dystopian film set in 2084, imagining a post-apocalyptic reality where the future is erased. The protagonist arrives on Nepenthe, a planet trapped in a permanent present, with no memory of his past.

"Reality dissolves into illusion and the future becomes an empty ruin.
Blurring cinema and contemporary video, Nepenthe explores time and memory through fragmented, layered moments.

"It resists chronological narrative, embracing repetition and rupture. The film's permanent present mirrors the way memory and illusion intertwine, circling the void.

"You came here to forget, remember?"

Student: Christina Vieira-Barry
Course: BA Design and Art, Major in Art
Tutors: Eva Leitolf and German A Duarte

On What Cannot Be Escaped by Matilde Baldassari

"On What Cannot Be Escaped explores the inescapable nature of the human body through an orthopaedic corset, tightened and suspended by metal wires.

"Positioned between tension (spannung), increase in tension (anspannung) and release (entspannung), the corset suggests an absent, anomalous body – neither singular nor double.

"Open and emptied, it becomes a restrictive shell, with its occupant vanished. In this state of suspension, the work reflects on bodily presence and absence, confinement and escape."

Student: Matilde Baldassari
Course: BA Design and Art, Major in Art
Tutors: Gerhard Glüher

The Bombastical by Schaeberle Amelie Isabel

"Rural areas often lack cultural spaces for young people, leading many to move to cities, which worsens the issue. Bombastical addresses this with a portable, inflatable cultural centre that travels as a packable kit.

"Its futuristic design attracts local interest, sets up in minutes and integrates into any landscape.

"It provides a flexible space for artists, organisations and communities to host workshops and events tailored to local needs.

"By bringing cultural exchange beyond big cities, Bombastical combats social isolation and revitalises rural areas with dynamic artistic and social opportunities."

Student: Schaeberle Amelie Isabel
Course: BA Design and Art, Major in Design
Tutors: Mustapha El Moussaoui and Hans-Walter Müller

Eating Scoby – a material-driven approach for symbiotic nutrition and glocal resilience by Emma Sicher

"Recent findings from microbiologists revealed the nutritional potential of Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeasts (SCOBY) grown from local fruit and vegetable co-products.

"SCOBY foods are currently underexplored, providing a valuable design opportunity with promising ecological, social and economic prospects.

"This interdisciplinary research project focuses on a multi-species approach to the human diet, experimenting with and materialising SCOBY-based food concepts.

"Proposed SCOBY foods are conceived to bridge the realms of food and supplements and are designed to be easily integrated into everyday meals.

"The project also investigates local food production flows and proposes more circular production solutions through the systemic implementation of microbial agencies.

"Speculative scenarios illustrate future possibilities that are based on existing systems.

"This project advocates that SCOBY and fermentation can benefit systems of different scales, from digestive to industrial and systemic scales. It also suggests how microbes could be great allies in adapting to this trouble and fostering an enhanced glocal resilience."

Student: Emma Sicher
Course: MA Eco-Social Design
Tutors: Jacopo Ammendola and David Calas

A place to B(z) – eco-social transformation in the urban context by Marielle Scharfenberg

"Amid multiple crises, we need informed and connected urban societies to find local democratic solutions.

"Public spaces foster social cohesion, yet the city of Bolzano, Italy, shaped by historical divisions, lacks well-designed ones.

"A Place to B(z) envisions opening the vacant area behind the train station as a dynamic community hub.
The hub intends to create accessible and adaptable spaces that are free from bureaucratic constraints, empowering residents to reclaim public spaces.

"We 'provotyped' potential uses through temporary events, fostering dialogue and collaboration.

"With municipal negotiations underway, we hope to open the area soon, paving the way for a more inclusive, resilient urban society."

Student: Marielle Scharfenberg
Course: MA Eco-Social Design
Tutors: Jacopo Ammendola and David Calas

By Osmosis: the unseen coexistence between microalgae and humans by Laura Bordini

"4.6 billion tonnes of waste are produced annually in the EU, with management methods varying across countries but aiming for a circular economy.

"Despite 2050 zero-emission targets, planned obsolescence remains evident in waste disposal, especially in non-OECD countries where waste is exported.

"Zero emissions and full circularity still seem distant goals. The project aims at raising awareness of this condition and attempting to reuse the biomass of dried Chlorella vulgaris, which has been investigated for years for its ability to purify polluted water.

"This material is a practical and easily replicable DIY material that allows individuals to reflect on the potential of waste and the possible alternatives of a circular economy."

Student: Laura Bordini
Course: MA Eco-Social Design
Tutors: Camilo Ayala Garcia and Lorenzo Brusetti

Soft Iteration: designing response-ability formats among museums and their communities by Sven Kammerer

"How can museums foster deeper relationships with their communities while staying adaptable?

"This project explores soft iteration – a dynamic framework for accountability and shared responsibility.

"Using participatory action research, the project was conducted in collaboration with Museion and Museion Art Club in Bolzano, Italy, testing new governance structures and participatory practices.

"Through design-based inquiry, workshops and reflective journaling, it uncovers relational, trust-based approaches beyond rigid accountability metrics.

"Key tools include open forums, an interactive archive and a relational object, promoting dialogue and co-creation.

"The findings emphasise care, adaptability and engagement, proposing a compassionate, flexible model for institutional transformation."

Student: Sven Kammerer
Course: MA Eco-Social Design
Tutors: Rosario Talevi and Marc Herbst

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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